Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1887-01-20

camp fire shining upon it, and the dull red
excavations in the ledge But even this did
not satisfy her until she had made some
alterations, az. when she finally brought her
finished study to Don Royal, she looked at
him little defiantly. Thatcher admired
honestly, end then criticised little humor-
ously and dishonesty. "But couldn't you,
for consideration, put up sign board on
that rock with the inscription, "Road to the
Blue Mass ccmpany's new mills to the
right" and combine business with arts That's
the fault of You geniuses. But what's this
blanketed figure doing here, lying before the
furnace, You never saw one of my miners
there-and Mexican, too, by his seraPe." 4"
"That," Guoth Mistress Carmen, coolly," was
put in to fiji Up tho foreground-I wanted
something there to balance the picture. !"
"But," continued Thatcher, dropping into un-
conscious admiration again, "it's drawn to
the life. Tell me, Hiss De Haro, before 1 ask
the aid and counsel Of Mrs. Plodgitt, who is
my hated rival, and your lay figure and
model!' "Oh," said Carmen, with little
sigh, dts only poor Concho." "And where
is Conchos' IA little impatiently) Hes dead,
Don Royal" "Dead!" "Of verity-very
dead-murdered by your countrymen." II
see-and you know hims' He was my
friend"
"Oh"
"Truly."
"But" twickedly), "isn't this rather
ghastly edvertisement-outside of an illus
trated newspaper-of my property?"
"Ghastly, Don Royal Look you, he sleeps"
Gay" Gn Spanish, "as the dead"
Carmen crossing herself hastily, after
the fashion Of the dead"
They were both feeling uncomfortable.
Carmen was shivering. But, being woman,
and tactful, she recovered her head first "It
is a study for myself, Don Royal shall
make you another"
And she slipped away, as she thought, out
of the subject and his presence
But she was mistaken; in the evening he
renewed the conversation. Carmen began to
fence. not from cowardice Or deceit. as the
masculine reader would readily infer, but
from some wonderful feminine instinct that
told her to be cautious. But he got from her
the fact, to him before unknown, that she
was the niece of his mean antagonist, and, be-
ing gentleman, SO redoubled his attentions
and his courtesy that Mrs Plodgitt made up
her mind that it was foregone conclusion,
and seriously reflected as to what she should
wear on the momentous occasion. But that
night poor Carmen cried herself to sleep, re-
solving that she would hereafter cast aside
her wicked uncle for this good hearted
Americana, yet never once connected her in
tween them. Women-the best of them-are
strong as to collateral facts, swift Of deduc-
ton, but vague as children are to the exact
statement or recognition Of premises. 1t is
hardly necessary to say that Carmen had
never thought of connecting any act of hers
with the claims of her uncle, and the circum-
stance of the signature she had totally for
gotten.
The masculine reader will now understand
Garments confusion and bushes, and believe
himself an ass to have thought them con-
fession of original affection. The feminine
reader will, by this time, become satisfied
that the deceitful minxs sole idea was to gain
the affections of Thatcher. And really l
don't know who is right.
Nevertheless, she painted a sketch for
Thatcher-which now adorns the company's
Office in San Francisco, in which the property
is laid out in pleasing geometrical lines, and
the rosy promise of the future instinct in
IF fba Than HAVING
earned her "wage," as she believed, she be-
came somewhat cold and shy to Thatcher.
Whereat that gentleman redoubled his atten-
tions, seeing only in her presence certain
meprise, which concerned her more than him.
self The niece of his enemy meant nothing
more to him than an interesting girl-to be
protected always--to be feared, never. But
even suspicion may be insidiously placed in
noble minds:
Mistress Plodgitt, thus early estopped of
matchmaking, of course put the blame on her
own sex, and went over to the stronger side
the mans.
"It's great pity gals should be so curious"
she said, soto voce, to Thatcher, when Car
men was in one of her sullen moods. "Yet /
s'pose it's in her blood. Them Spaniards is
always revengeful-like the Eyetalians.
Thatcher honestly looked his surprise.
"Why, don't you see, she's thinking how all
these lands might have been her uncle's but
for YOU. And instead of trying to be sweet
and" here she stopped to cough.
"Good God" said Thatcher, in great con-
Germ, Il never thought of that" He stopped
for moment, and then added with decision:
II can't believe it; it isn't like her,"
Mrs. P. was piqued. She walked away, de-
Hvering, however, this Parthian arrow:
"Wer, hope 'taint nothing ,rorse."
Thatcher chuckled, then felt uneasy. When
he next met Carmen she found his gray eyes
fixed on hers with curious, half-inquisi-
torial look she had never noticed before. This
only added fuel to the fire. Forgetting their
relations of host and guest, she was abso-
lutely rude. Thatcher was quiet but watch
full; got the Plodgitt to bed early, and, under
cover of showing moonlight view of the
@Lost Chance MILL" decoyed Carmen out of
earshot, as far as the dismantled furnace.
"What is the matter, Miss De Haro; have
offended you"
Miss Carmen was not aware that anything
was the matter. If Don Royal preferred old
friends, whose loyalty of course he knew, and
tcho ,sere abore speaking i'll against
gentleman in his adrersity-(oh, Carmen!
fed if he preferred their company to iate,
friends-why-th masculine reader will OBJ
serve this tremendous climax and tremble)-
why she didn't know why he should blame
her.
They turned and faced each other. The